COST vs VRTV: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Costco Wholesale Corporation and Veritiv Corporation — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-09-25.
Costco Wholesale Corporation · Consumer Defensive
$896.48
+24.7% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade B
High Quality
VS
Veritiv Corporation · Industrials
$169.99
-45.0% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade D
QuantHub Verdict
COST has more upside to fair value
(+24.7%).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
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Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
COST |
VRTV |
| Current Price |
$896.48 |
$169.99 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$1,117.50 |
$93.49 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
+24.7%
|
-45.0%
|
| Market Cap |
$397.6B |
$2.3B |
| Forward P/E |
—
|
—
|
| EV / EBITDA |
32.7x
|
5.4x
|
| Price / Sales |
1.3x
|
0.4x
|
| Price / FCF |
42.4x
|
10.4x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+11.1%
|
-19.0%
|
| Gross Margin |
17.5%
|
22.7%
|
| Operating Margin |
3.9%
|
5.9%
|
| Return on Equity |
28.0%
|
48.6%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0.62% |
1.48% |
| FCF Yield |
2.36%
|
9.57%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Strong Buy
|
Hold
|
Investment Thesis
Costco Wholesale Corporation operates a global network of membership-based warehouse clubs, selling branded and private-label merchandise across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, Spain, France, Iceland, and China, supplemented by pharmacies, optical centers, food courts, hearing aid centers, tire installation, 636 gas stations, and e-com…
Veritiv Corporation is a business-to-business distributor of specialty packaging, facility solutions, print, and publishing products, operating through four segments with a network of distribution centers and roughly 5,000 employees. The business quality is mixed: it generates a strong 48.6% ROE and trades at a low 7.13 trailing P/E and 5.44 EV/EBITDA, but revenue declined 19.0% year over year in…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
COST |
VRTV |
| Zone Low |
$838.12 |
$70.12 |
| Zone High |
$949.88 |
$79.47 |
| In Buy Zone? |
Yes
|
No
|